Articles
Water disinfection by chlorination
Water disinfection by chlorination Clean drinking water is essential for the growth and development of pigs and as such, plays a key role in animal performance, writes Emer McCrum. The provision of clean drinking water is therefore essential to support all stages and ages of pigs. Younger animals in particular however are […]
23 February 2024
Improvements to National Genotyping Programme to speed up blue card returns
Improvements to National Genotyping Programme to speed up blue card returns Despite 98% of samples being processed in less than seven days, the ICBF has confirmed that it will make a number of changes to the National Genotyping Programme to help speed up the returning of animal passports (blue cards). In a […]
22 February 2024
Does night-time feeding reduce night-time calvings?
Does night-time feeding reduce night-time calvings? Some farmers may be implementing a feeding strategy where silage is restricted to suckler cows during daylight hours, instead being offered at night time, to reduce the incidence of night-time calvings. However, the implementation of such a strategy is no guarantee of reducing the number of […]
22 February 2024
Research verifies low carbon footprint of Irish grain
Research verifies low carbon footprint of Irish grain New Teagasc research on the Tirlán grain pool has shown that Irish grain has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. Tirlán, in conjunction with Teagasc, invested in developing a new LCA model which was used to complete Ireland’s first carbon footprint […]
22 February 2024
Giving this year’s malting barley crop the best start
Giving this year’s malting barley crop the best start Malting barley plays an important role on many Irish tillage farms, from where 300,000 tonnes are produced to supply the Irish drinks sector annually. As part of the recent Teagasc/Boortmalt Malting Barley Conference, growers were reminded of the importance of having the correct […]
22 February 2024
Newford farm update – the move to Roscommon, calving preparation and performance review
Newford farm update – the move to Roscommon, calving preparation and performance review With the calving season underway, Michael Fagan, Teagasc Newford farm technician, is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an insight into changes on the farm, preparation in advance of calving and a review performance of the herd. […]
21 February 2024
Malting barley continues to be in high demand from the Irish drinks industry
Malting barley continues to be in high demand from the Irish drinks industry The Teagasc/Boortmalt Malting Barley Conference was held yesterday, Tuesday, 20 February in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. The conference attendees included farmers and industry professionals involved in producing over 300,000 tonnes of malting barley to supply the Irish drinks sector every […]
21 February 2024
Four years of significant input price inflation in the horticulture sector
Four years of significant input price inflation in the horticulture sector Input price inflation in the horticulture sector in Ireland has been significant in recent years and 2024 is no exception, with average input prices rising across the horticultural sector. The Teagasc Horticulture Development Department has taken a snapshot of input prices […]
21 February 2024
The importance of colostrum to suckler calves
The importance of colostrum to suckler calves As a means to protect the early-life health of calves, suckler farmers have been encouraged to prioritise the feeding of colostrum to their calves this spring. This message came from John Donlon, a Teagasc vet working in the area of beef herd health, who joined […]
20 February 2024
Scanning, condition score and preparing for lambing on the BETTER farms
Scanning, condition score and preparing for lambing on the BETTER farms For this week’s OviCast, host Ciaran Lynch is joined by Dr Frank Campion to get an update on the BETTER farm sheep flocks. They discuss this year’s scanning results, dealing with issues and benchmarking performance. Additionally, ewe condition score on the […]
20 February 2024